Hell is Better than Home
by Kelly Thompson
Summary: A story about what would truly happen if a girl ever was accidently sent to Camp Green Lake. Takes place before Stanely or Zero. SquidOC. R&R honestly, please!
1. Part One

**Hell is Better than Home**

**PART ONE**

"You are hearby sentenced to one year in Austin juvenile detention center." Judge Mathon slammed the gavel on his podium.

Francesca clenched her fists and lowered her head. Jail. Juvy. Finally she had screwed her life up so badly that she was actually going way for a year.

It seemed like only yesterday that she had been simply walking home from school and just happened to pass by the most beautiful diamond necklace she had ever seen before. As she stared at it her eyes slowly drifted to the small piece of paper which read $455.50, the price of her dream necklace. Immediately Francesca reached in her pocket, sighing in sadness when she only drew out a nickel and a piece of pocket lent.

Her fingers began to twitch, as she stared enviously at the necklace. It was literally inches away with nothing but glass blocking her way.

She looked around. There was no one. She put her face to the glass. There was no one inside the small boutique except the storeowner, a small, frail old lady.

But at that moment the owner turned and went into the back room. Now was Francesca's chance. She darted inside, ran to the window, grasped the necklace and stuffed in into her jacket pocket. She turned around- the owner walked out of the back room. Francesca waved. "Jus' lookin'" she said, then turn and walked out. As soon as she was out of the store she broke into a run. She got about five blocks away when she heard sirens behind her.

She was caught. But as the police pulled her into the car, she couldn't help but smile to herself.

Nothing was going to happen. Just like nothing happened the last two times she was caught stealing, the judge had always just given her a warning.

But now as she stood in front of the judge she just starred, this couldn't be happening now, she was only a sophomore in high school; she had her whole life ahead of her. Why had she chosen now to ruin her whole life? Now she was headed to jail. She looked back at her mom and dad who were now looking at her with the worst expressions a child could get from their parents.

"A bus is waiting outside"

Francesca followed the bodyguard outside. There were two buses waiting. He shoved her onto the closer one. She looked over her shoulder. Her parents hadn't even stuck around to watch her go. They didn't care. They had Alex at home, the good twin. SHE never caused any trouble. SHE was a cheerleader. SHE had a good boyfriend and a 4.0 GPA and a katrillion extra-curricular activities. She was the good girl. The daughter Francesca's parents actually wanted.

She blocked those thoughts away from her mind, no use in thinking about it now that she was off to jail. Jail… the word repeated itself inside her head as she stepped into the bus.

The driver looked at her confused for a split second before he muttered,"sit down we have one more screw up to pick up." She looked away and shuffled to the back of the bus.

The bus jolted to a stop about an hour later. On climbed a mousy looking boy with thick curly dirty blond hair. He looked at her then sat in a seat in the very front of the bus.

Francesca glared a hole in the back of his head, for no reason. She was just mad at the world right then and this guy was in her way.

Why was he here anyway? He looked too scrawny to be a criminal. 'But whatever'. Francesaca looked out her window. All evidence of any civilization had melted away. Now there was nothing except sand for miles around. Wait… Francesca's internal compass did some calculations. They weren't headed towards Austin! Francesca cautiously stood up and walked to the front of the bus.

"Hey," she said softly as she knelt by the mousy boy's seat. He shuddered and looked at his fingers and she looked at him.

"Where we headin'?" She asked, turning on her feminine charms.

"C-c-c-cam-mm-camp g-g-green l-l-lake…" he stuttered.

"Camp Green Lake?" Francesca almost shouted. "Ain't that a boy's camp?"

"Y-y-yeah… I dunnno why you're here."

Francesca was about to reply when there was a sputtering and a crash and the bus stopped. She could hear the bus driver cursing under his breath as he turned the keys to the bus back and forth attempting to get the bus starting again.

"Attention everyone." He said standing up, looking around as though there were more people on the bus. "Due to certain' circumstances we are forced to walk."

"Walk? How far?" Francesca asked, standing up to face the driver.

He looked at her, then grunted, bent down, and hand each of them small plastic bottles filled with water, "Bout' a mile our two." He said.

Francesca groaned as she climbed out the bus stepping out into what seemed the sun.

The walk to camp green lake lasted for what seemed an eternity, until finally, she could just barely spot a small wooden house. By that time she, the boy and the driver were all covered in dust and sweat. But about 20 minutes later they were at the camp, surrounded by wooden houses and canvas tents. Francesca saw no sign of life.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"They all out diggin' holes." The driver said.

"Oh. Of course. Holes." Francesca said sarcastically. She looked down at herself. Her black tanktop was dusty and smelly, her jeans torn and dirty. _This sucks _she thought. She kept walking, head down, gazing at her dusty black Converse.

And she ran straight into someone.

Well, a boy. But not any ordinary boy. This boy was the most gorgeous boy Francesca had ever laid eyes on. Even through the dust and sweat she could tell that he was hot.

"Watch it." He mumbled through the toothpick in his mouth and walked away, shovel in hand. She followed him with her eyes, trying to remember how to breathe.

"This way," the driver pushed her towards a building.

She stepped inside the building coming face to face to a very smelly fat man. "May I help you little lady." He grumbled, cigarette smoke wafting from his mouth.

Francesca let out a small cough as the bus driver pushed her out of the way. "This here's your new delinquents." He mumbled to the man.

The man looked at Francesca then said, "But this is a boy's camp." The bus driver shifted a bit on his boots then said, "I know Mr. Sir. I would take her back, but the bus broke down from the heat."

Mr. Sir looked at her again, then turned to the boy and said, "You Collin Gracy?"

"Yes Sir."

"It's Mr. Sir to you." Mr. Sir growled, "You will be staying in C tent, and you." He said turning to Francesca, "You will be staying in D tent."

He handed them each a pile of orange clothing, and then they followed him out side. They followed him until he reached a tent marked _C Tent_, "Mr. Gracy, this here is you tent." Collin looked back, then strode into the tent. Then Mr. Sir gestured to the tent next to them.

She walked over to the tent, looked back at Mr. Sir, now walking back to the wooden building. She took a deep breath the walked into the tent.

The first thing Francisco noticed was the smell, horrid. She looked around.

"Your beds that one." Came a voice from behind her. She jumped then turned around staring right into the face of the boy she had seen earlier.

"Hey, you're a chick." He said staring down at her.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she wrapped her arms tightly around her chest, "Hi, I'm Francesca."

"Squid."

"Hi." She cocked her head and turned around, throwing her stuff onto the bed in front of her. Squid grabbed her arm and turned her around. Though she was scared, she noticed that he was now clean- and even smelled _good_.

"How'd you end up here?" he said, looking intently at her.

"That's a very good question. One that I don't know the answer to," Francesca pulled her arm away.

"Aigh't, okay. Well, how 'bout this- What kinda name's Francesca?" Squid said, still looking unwaveringly into her eyes.

"I don't think you should be talkin', Squid man!"

"Fine, fine. I get it. Meet Mr.Pendanski yet?"

"Who—"

"Why, Alan! Who's the new----girl?" Francesca turned around to meet a scrawny, short man- Mr. Pendanski.

"Alan?!" Francesca laughed under her breath

"This is Francesca, Mom. And I told you, the name's Squid!"

"I will call you by what your parents named you Alan. Are you lost?" Mom said to Francesca.

"No, I am the new…..roomy." she said.

"Right, well welcome to camp green lake, where we turn the criminals into citizens."

"Man mom, can you be more of a nerd." Squid said, sitting down in the bed next to Francesca's.

"Now Alan, there is nothing nerdy about being nice. Now Francesca, make yourself at home, dinner will be in an hour."

Francesca watched him leave, then looked back over a squid, who was now fiddling with the toothpick.

"The others will be here soon." He said standing up.

"Ok, where do I shower?" she said, " I'm a bit dirty from the walk over here."

He looked at her for a moment, then said, "The showers are outside by the mess hall. But…"

"But what?"

"But… You'll need a token." Squid seemed to be surprising a smirk as he fiddled in his pocket to fish out a small, silver coin. He handed it to her. "Go on," he said, motioning to the door. Francesca turned around, confused at squid's strange look. She walked out and wandered to the outdoors showers. She got there and suddenly realized why Squid had been smirking.

There were about 7 half-naked boys there, standing under the spigots. Strangely schoked Francesca gaped.

_Oh, crap. _She thought_ well… I Am going to be here for a while…_ so, in a spurt of self-confidence, Francesca walked over to the opening in the half wall of the showers and stripped down to her black bra and boy shorts. She took Squid's token and walked all the way to the back, where the first free spigot was. She popped the token in the slot and cold, chilling water burst out. She rubbed her arms together, as if that would help the water warm. After a few seconds she turned around. All the showers had stopped running, but the guys remained, staring.

"WHAT?! YOU NEVER SEEN A GIRL BEFORE?" Francesca shouted.

"Not like … this" said someone.

"Well… get used to it. I'm gonna be here for awhile. Now… LEAVE!"

The guys shuffled out, muttering things amongst themselves like, "Oh, I could get used to HER," and "What's she doin' here?"

Francesca shook her head and turned back around and finished her shower in peace. When the water ran out she jogged back to her pile of stuff and slipped into a clean black T-shirt and her ugly orange jumper, the arms of which she tied around her hips. She gathered the rest into her arms and ran back to D-tent, where she came face-to-face with almost every boy that she had run into in the showers.

_Oh, just kill me now!_ Francesca thought. But, in spite of this, she held her chin high and marched over to her bed and dumped her stuff in the crate next to it.

"Whose that?" one guy muttered behind her.

"She's the newbie here." She could hear squid say.

"What's her name?" came another.

"Francesca." Francesca said turning around, "I'm Francesca."

"Frankes .. .frace …" said a tall blond boy, with hair sputtering out everywhere.

"Hey chick, this here's Zigzag." Said Squid gesturing to the boy.

"Chic, yeah I like it. I'm X-ray." Said a boy with large glasses, "And over there, that's armpit, and him he's magnet" He said gesturing to a fat boy and another boy who nodded as she took him in.

"Oh and that's barfbag." Said X-ray pointing to the last boy in the tent.

"Hi." Francesca said, looked at each boy in turn attempting to remember their names.

She turned back around and pulled out a large black brush, which she used to brush her long dark brown hair into a high ponytail, her long bangs hanging just right above her eyes.

"So, what's for dinner."

Dinner was to put it simply, bean beans, and banana jello. None of which sounded the least bit appetizing to her. She just decided that green beans would be the best beat. After she had obtained her dinner, she turned around to notice every boy in the dining hall was starring very intently at her. Blushing, she looked around for a seat.

"Hey Chick over hear." Said the familiar voice of Squid.

She walked over to the table where her fellow D tenets were sitting.

"Hey zigzag move over for chick." Said x-ray. Francesca sat down between zigzag and Squid, who were both starring down at her plate.

"I thought you were hungry." Said Squid.

"I don't like beans." Francesca said looking down at her nearly bare plate.

"You gonna have ta get used to it then chick." Said Armpit, who had a plate full of beans with a side of banana jello.

"Man armpit, why do you have to eat soo much beans man." Said Magnet, "You know how bad you get at night."

Francesca looked down at her plate, trying to think of happier things than shairing a tent with boys who have eaten nothing but beans, when…"Hey chick you ever kill anyone."

Francesca looked up at zigzag who was starring at her with the most serious expression.

"No….." she said.

"No, she ain't never killed no'one, Zig! But… Why are you here?" Squid asked.

"I…I…Stole a necklace."

The boys laughed. "You stole a necklace so they sent you to a BOY"S camp?!" Magnet said.

"Well, there are… other things."

"What? What?" The boys asked, intrigued.

"Well, before the necklace I've nicked shoes, perfume, a DVD player. I dunno why, I just can't resist nice things. Things I can't afford. But up until this I just got a warning and community service. Then I stole the diamond necklace- almost $500. And I got busted. I crossed the line, I guess. So they sent me to jail. But the bodyguard put me on the wrong bus. They were gonna take me back, but the bus broke down. So I'm stuck here." The guys just stared.

"That's… awkward." Squid said.

"Yeah" Just then, Mr. Sir came in, herding everyone out. Francesca and the guys went back to D-tent.

When they reached the tent Francesca threw herself down on her bed, hoping to sleep. But Mr. Pendanski came in and said,, "Alright, boys… and girl. In a circle, if you please." So each person grabbed a folding chair from against the wall and arranged them in a circle. Mr. Pendanski posed what Francesca was sure was a very meaningful question, but she was too tired to be involved in the discussion. Finally, after half an hour, Mr. Pendanski dismissed them.

Francesca fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes, and slept soundly until Mr. Sir rang the bell for camp Green Lake to wake up. Francesca dragged herself out of bed and into line to get a shovel from a shack labeled "Library". Then they walked out the their dig site.

Francesca was still wiping the sleep out of her eyes when they reached the place where they were to dig.

Squid came up behind her and, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"First hole's the hardest. Right?" She asked him.

"Naw. Second is. But first still sucks." The two smiled at each other.

"Squid stop your flirtin and get to your diggin." Came Mr. Sir's voice from behind them.

Squid blushed and turned around and began digging his hole. Francesca looked at him for a moment, until she looked down at the solid sand below her shoes. She placed the edge of the shovel against the sand and jumped onto the shovel. She balanced for a split second on top of the shovel, until it began to wobble and she fell face slat onto the earth.

"ooo." Francesca heard from behind her, as she realized all the guys were watching her.

She felt rough hands on her shoulders as she was pulled up. She rubbed her nose which was now throbbing in pain as she turned around to come face to face with the whole of D tent.

"Man chick that was one hard fall." Said Magnet.

"Yeah you ok." Said Squid.

"Yeah I guess, my nose just hurts, that's all." She said. Turning back to where she was to dig her hole.

About an hour had passed before Francesca had actually penetrated the sand, where as everyone else was somewhat half to being half way. However, she was incredibly tired of it already.

She sat down, and picked up her jug of water. To her dismay, however, nothing came out when she titled it over her head. Now parched with thirst, Francesca stood up, picked up her shovel and began digging again.

She had finally lost it about half the way threw the day, when everyone in D-Tent had finished their hole and left except her. Squid finished, of course, but he stuck around. He talked to her, joked around, and helped dig. Francesca was very thankful for him. The only bad part about it was that they had to dig, and they only had half of Squid's water left.

The sun was starting to set when Francesca and Squid began to make their way back to camp.

"Thanks for sticking around. It was really cool of you." Francesca said when they neared the camp.

"Yeah, no prob." Squid replied. "But you need to learn how to dig!"

"I promise to try!"

It was dinnertime when they reached their tent. They only had time to throw down their stuff and head to the mess hall for dinner.

Francesca was still not fond of the beans, or banana jello, so she only ate bread. _Well, if nothing else, I'll lose weight here!_ She thought grimly. As she stuffed the bread into her mouth.

"Chick, you anorexic or sumtin'?" Squid asked as they walked out of the mess hall.

"No! Jus' not a fan of beans, or jello for that matter."

Francesca grabbed a shower token and a clean black tank and ran out to take a shower with the rest of d-tent. Again, they stared- Squid more than anyone, because he was at the spigot right next to her. Yes, they talked like they normally did when they were together, but for once his brown eyes weren't fixed entirely on her blue eyes, like normal. His eyes… wandered. But Francesca didn't notice, because hers were also. She observed that months of digging had been very good to dear Alan, his arms and torso were very nice, especially whet they were wet.

That night, Francesca went to bed with visions of Squid in her head. Her dreams filled with fond thoughts, until at about midnight she awoke to discover something moving in her bead sheets.

Francesca immediately sprung up and pulled the covers off the bed, where to her horror she discovered a small yet deadly scorpion.

She let out a shrill scream as it began moving toward her. She could hear the boys rustling in their beds. Then the scorpion jumped off the bed advancing toward her, she fell back onto the bed behind her, and the occupant let out a harsh grunt, as a dark figure moved over to her bed and stomped on the scorpion with a loud thud on the floor.

"What's happenin' in here!!" yelled out the voice of Mr. Sir.

"Just a scorpion in Chick's bad." Said one of the boys, as a light flickered over her rescuer, Squid.

Francesca groaned as she shifted herself on the bed to face the owner, there lay a disgruntled looking Zigzag.

Noticing she was staring at him, he grinned and winked at her. She let out a moan as she lifted herself onto the floor.

"NO more scares tonight ya hear." Said Mr. Sir walking out the door of the tent.

Francesca nodded as she slowly crept into bed again, this time assuring that there was no hidden surprises awaiting her in bed. She lay down now more tired than ever, yet instead of dreaming of her hot roommate, she now had nightmares of Zigzag.

The next day was worse, much worse, than the previous. Francesca was sore all over, and she still was a slow digger. But she did manage to save her water so it would last, and today Squid and Zigzag stayed behind. Zig was a little creepy, to say the least, but Squid was funny and between the tree of them they finished her hole in time to get to the camp and have some downtime before dinner. When they got to D-tent , Squid took out a pen and piece of paper.

"Written' to your mom?" Francesca asked as she flopped onto her bed next to his.

"Uh, sure. Sumthin' like that." He chuckled and began to write. Francesca closed her eyes and leaned back on her pillow. But after only a few moments something hit her shoulder. She opened her eyes a crack, just to see what it was, and saw a crumpled up piece of paper on her bed. She picked it up and uncrumpled it to reveal a note.

Chick- Sorry Zig stayed around. I think he got the wrong message when you sat on his bed last night.

Squid threw his pen at her also.

It's alright. At least we finished faster.

She re-crumpled the note and threw it back with the pen. Squid read it and smiled at her, but then the dinner bell rang and they got up and left.

"Beans and Banana jello. My favorite…" Francesca moaned sarcastically as they got in line. She grabbed a piece of bread and a cup of water and sat.

"Anorexic child!" Squid said as he sat next to her.

"Am not!"

"I know, I know. Blah blah blah. But if you don't eat something you gonna be a skinny as a pole."

"What if I'd like t'be as skinny as a pole?"

"Well, you shouldn't want that, coz' your perfect the way you are."

"Aw, Thanks. It's good to know that you love me when I haven't showered. Now I never have to shower a gain!"

"Okay, okay. Your perfect just the way you are when you're clean!" He pushed her side

"Oh, okay, I get it!" She laughed and got up, throwing her tray in the tub of soapy water as she left. Once again she took a shower token and a clean black top and once again she endured the unrelenting stares of her tent-mates as she showered. And once again she fell asleep, dreaming of Squid.

The next morning Francesca discovered the pain of working out. All of her muscles were aching with pain. She got out of bed to discover that it was even earlier than normal, in fact no one was even out of bed. She silently pulled on her clothes and went out the door, into the cool empty camp, and sat on the small wooden steps wondering why she had gotten up so incredibly early, until she saw the slightest glimmer of the sunset.

Back at home Francesca had had a boyfriend, Chris Wegan. Francesca and Chris were always inseparable, until her mother forced her to break up with him in hopes of preventing Francesca form stealing or committing any more crimes. When she and Chris were split up, they always meet on Wednesday mornings to watch the sunset rise, it was like the only time they could get together without Francesca's mother finding out.

As Francesca sat on the steps she thought of Chris, and how they would meet. She just then realized that today was indeed a Wednesday. So he sat there watching the sunrise, thinking of Chris, when there was a creaking from behind her. She looked over to discover Alan coming toward her.

"Hi, what are you doing up so early." She said looking up at him as he sat down next to her.

"I always get up at five in the morning to watch the sun rise." He said.

"Really?"

"No, I just heard you when you woke up and thought I might join you." He said blushing a little.

She too could feel herself blush a little as they sat there looking up at the sunset, which was a beautiful color of pink and red.

"Hey, why are you out here?" He asked suddenly looking over at her.

"Well, me and my old boy friend used to meet every wendsday morning to watch the sun rise together as a way to get back together." She murmured

He looked down at her with a soft expression, "Hey I'm sorry I brought it up chick."

"It's ok." Francesca muttered holding her arms around her legs. Her long dark brown hair flowing, falling over her shoulders and face.

Squid gently pushed the hair out of the way and tilted her face towards him. He placed his hand on her chin and looked at her intently.

"Hey, Francesca."

She looked up into his eyes. His head leaned a little closer to her.

"Alan…We hardly know each other." She said softly, pulling away from him.

At first he looked really disappointed, then he shook his head and smiled, almost laughingly.

"Okay, its cool. I respect that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a toothpick in a plastic wrapper. He removed the wrapper and put the toothpick in his mouth.

Then the bell for breakfast rang.

"Alright, let's go." Squid stood and held out his hand. Francesca took it and he helped her to her feet.

The sun was just barely up as they wandered into the mess hall to grab a honey- covered tortilla and then to get in line for a shovel.

And so it went for weeks. Every Wednesday Squid and Francesca would watch the sunrise. Everyday Francesca got a little better at digging and every day she felt more and more strongly for Squid.

Then one morning, as she and squid wandered out of the mess hall to get their shovels…

"HEEEY, SQUID!" X-ray called. "C'mere." Squid jogged over to him and the rest of their tent-mates as they were coming out of the mess hall. Francesca watched as Squid and the rest of the boys talked about something quietly. She grabbed her shovel and began to walk over to them. When she got close, the group broke up, leaving only Squid behind. She approached him.

"What's goin' on?" she asked.

"N-nothin'…" he stammered, looking sheepishly at his feet and blushing. "I-I… I gotta go." He pushed by her and went to get a shovel, leaving her alone. Her shoulders dropped.

_What's going on?!_

This queston haunted her mind the entire morning as she shoveled. Although she was getting faster, she wasn't quite as fast as the boys of D tent. As the afternoon crept on, the boys slowly one by one finished their holes. Until there was only Her, x-ray and Squid. X-ray finished within a mater of minutes, but before he left he looked at Squid with a stern expression.

About ten minutes had passed before Squid was done with his whole. Francesca looked up at him hopefully, but then her heart sank as she watched Squid turn away and walk back to camp.

As Francesca watched him leave she could have killed herself for have feeling so strongly about him. She looked down at her hole, which was about half way done. Groaning she lifted her shovels and began to dig, as the hours droned by. Slowly she noticed the sun beginning to set just barely on the horizon, thirstily she looked down at her canteen, empty. She groaned as he stomach began to grumble with hunger. At this point in time she would give anything for a scrap of bread, even banana jello.

She could feel herself growing weaker and weaker as time crept on. At long last she could feel herself fall, the light blackening. She now lay, unconscious in her hole all alone.

The boys of D tent sat in their usual spots on the table, eating their beans. Each boy noticed that every once in a while Squid would look around the room nervously.

"Hey man she's not coming." Said Magnet .

"No she has to eat, she'll come." He responded.

"Na she doesn't even eat, you know. She like anorexic or something." Said Zigzag.

"No! Don't say that about her got it Zig." Growled Squid, getting up, "I'm not hungry any more, I'll see you guys in the tent."

He walked off, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He walked until he reached d-tent, then he looked behind him. No one was there, they were all still inside.

So he ran.

He ran fast and hard. He was really worried for Francesca, she hadn't come back, and she was in trouble.

He ran as fast as he could all the way to the dig site.

"Francesca?!" he called. She didn't answer. He didn't see her anywhere.

"FRANCESCA?!" He called again, more frantically than before. Which hole was hers?

He began looking into holes. She wasn't in any of them. Where was she? There was one hole left. He ran over, looked in. There she was!

"Francesca!" He gasped. He jumped down into the hole. "Francesca! Fran--- It's OK, it's gonna be alright. I'm gonna get you outta here!" He picked her up- she was surprisingly light- and took her up in his arms. Some how he managed to get out of the hole again without letting her go. Then he ran all the way back to camp. He didn't stop running until he got back to d-tent.

By then, all the guys were back; so they were all staring as Squid walked in, placed Francesca on her bed, and poured water from his bottle into her mouth. "Francesca! Wake up! Wake up, Francesca!"

"Man, wa's wrong wit' her, Squid?" Magnet asked, moving to her bedside.

"What, NOW you care?" Squid yelled at him and the rest of the guys who were now gathering around, muttering amongst themselves. Squid shook his head in disbelief. "She fainted," he explained, "She's unconscious and won't wake up." The guys started to mumble worriedly.

"Hey, Francesca, Francesca, wake up! Don't do this to me, Francesca!" Squid was starting to tear up. He didn't know why. In his head he told himself that he was stupid for being so undone by a girl. _It's just what X-ray said,_ he thought, _I shouldn't lose myself over her! She's just a stupid girl!_ But thinking that didn't help. In fact, it made him cry more!

He was getting frantic now. "FRANCESCA! FRANCESCA!" He shook her shoulders. "FRANCESCA, WAKE UP! ARE YOU DEAD?!" Suddenly it hit him that that was a possibility! He put his ear to her chest. He heard a heartbeat, and she was breathing. Tears were streaming down his face now. He was lost, he didn't know what to do.

So he followed instinct.

He leaned down and kissed Francesca on the lips.

He wanted to, so he did.

And it felt okay, except that she couldn't kiss back.

So, he pulled away. All the muttering between the boys had stopped and they were now just staring at Squid. He looked around at them.

"WHAT?! It works in all the movies…" he said, embarrassed. But it wasn't working now. Francesca was still 'sleeping'.

But then, she stirred. Moaned.

Squid was so overjoyed that he pulled her into the biggest hug he could with her sitting down.

"Where—where… Squid! I… You… You saved me?"

"I… Ya, I did."

"What happened?" she muttered rubbing her head groginingly

"You fainted in the hole. I think. Well you were asleep or something." He said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I only remember digging the hole, then… then.." she looked at him suddenly with anger, "I remember you leaving me all alone out there. You left me there all alone, so I fainted."

Francesca got up angrily and turned away and strode out the door, not looking back. Squid watched her go, not moving. He couldn't believe what he had heard, he had _saved _her, and she had gotten mad. He had left her out there all alone, but after all she needed to dig her own holes all by herself, that was the point of this camp. She should be thanking him for saving her, if it weren't for him she would probably die out there.

Meanwhile, Francesca walked hefty outside, taking care to look at no one as she walks to an unknown destination. She couldn't help but think of what had just happened, he had saved her, but only after he had left her all alone in the dessert.

As she walked she began to think of all that had happened. She searched in her pocket to find a shower token, there was none.

She kept walking until she reached the edge of the camp. In front of her there was noting but miles of desert. She didn't want to die out there, so she just sat. she sat right there in the dust and watched the moon.

She wanted to go home. She wanted to leave and forget about Squid forever. How could he do something like that to her? Just leave her and then expect her to _thank_ him? She didn't need his help. She would've woken up eventually, or she would've been found the next day.

Although… Maybe she should be thanking him… He _did_ save her…

No. He left her first. After he lead her on, made her think that they were friends. He left her.

These thoughts tossed and turned and writhed inside Francesca's head for such a long time. She was so wrapped up in these thoughts that she didn't notice at all when someone came up beside her, sat next to her, and put an arm around her shoulders. She didn't notice that she slipped into sleep, either. She didn't notice anything until the next morning, when she woke up and Squid was sleeping next to her.

**END OF PART ONE**


	2. Part two

**Hell is Better than Home**

**PART TWO**

Two weeks later, the whole camp was still talking about it.

It was all anyone wanted to talk about, which was stupid, because nothing really happened. They had just fallen asleep. That was all. But no matter what she and Squid said to redeem them, everyone still called them boyfriend and girlfriend and hailed Squid for 'banging' Francesca. After a few days Squid and Francesca gave up on trying to be the good people and just let everyone have their fun.

On the bright side, the two were friends again. Francesca was only a little slower than the rest of the boys now, so she managed to finish about half an hour later than them, and Squid stayed with her again.

Francesca had started eating the beans. They were disgusting, but she didn't want to faint again. So every afternoon she would just choke them down one by one, as every boy watched her with an amused expression on their faces. She now actually enjoyed their company for the first time, they were like the brothers she had never had, except Squid -he was much more.

She could hardly believe that over two months had passed already. It seemed like only yesterday she had taken her first steps into D tent. Every night, as the rest of the boys slept she would think of all that had happened in these months.

Everything was good, except for the fact that she had to dig a hole in the blistering hot sun. Then one morning, as Francesca was just waking up to the sun's rays, Mr. Pendanski walked in.

"Oh, good. You're awake. C'mon, the warden wants to see you." Mr. Pendanski motioned for Francesca to follow him.

The Warden! What had Francesca done? There was to whole Squid thing, but that was weeks ago… What could it be?

The short walk to the Warden's cabin seemed to take forever. Francesca's head was filled with thought of being kicked out. She didn't want to leave! These people were her friends!

Mr. Pendanski saying, "Okay, we're here" interrupted her thoughts.

Francesca knocked cautiously on the Warden's door. A gentle "Come in!" answered her.

Francesca opened the door and advanced into the cabin.

The warden was sitting on the couch, painting her nails, when Francesca entered. The warden didn't look really mean, just tough. Almost regal, even.

As Francesca stepped inside, the warden looked up. "Oh, Francesca. 'Chick'. How do you like Camp Green Lake?" Before Francesca could answer, the warden broke in with, "oh, what am I saying? Of course you like it! That much is apparent. I see you are especially fond of your tent-mates?" She laughed teasingly at Francesca. "And, Squid?"

"Ya, okay. I am fond of Squid." Francesca couldn't help but laugh at herself as she rolled her head. "But… Why am I here? I mean, in you cabin? What'd I do?"

"Oh, nothin'. I just wanted to see how you're doin'." Francesca was slightly confused. "And, you're leaving soon. We've got a new bus comin' down tomorrow to bring you to jail, where you belong, to finish your sentence."

"But… but! I don't want to leave…" Francesca replied meekly.

"Excuse me? You don't _want _to leave?" The warden tightened the lid on her polish, set it aside, and stood up. "Of course you don't_ want _to leave. It's too much _fun_ here. But you_ have _to leave. This is a boy's camp. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now as I was a saying, the bus will be arriving around noon tomorrow. So you don't have to dig tomorrow." She said returning her attention to painting her nails.

Francesca stood still not moving until the warden looked up at her and said in an annoyed voice, "Well get out'a here. Go pack."

Francesca left without looking back; she couldn't believe what had just happened. She didn't want to leave; this place was better than her home. At least here people actually knew she existed, and liked her. Back at home her parents only ever paided any attention to Alex. Now it was all over, she was leaving. She would probably never even see the boys of D tent ever again.

She walked in silence for most of the way to the tent. Avoiding all contact with anyone who crossed her path. As she walked she thought to herself, _shouldn't I be happy I'm leaving, this place is a living hell. _But no matter how much she tried to tell herself that, she could only think of the good things at camp green lake.

As she entered the tent, she noticed that everyone had already left for digging. Francesca walked around the room slowly, attempting to take it all in. Feeling over whelmed by all that was happening, she went to her bed and lay down, covering her face with her hands.

She couldn't help wonder how the boys would react when she told them that she was leaving the next morning.

_Would they be sad?_

_Would they be relieved that the "chick" was leaving?_

_What about Squid?  
_

Question after question drifted threw her head as she lay there.

Francesca predicted that she had laid there for over two hours until finally she drifted into a deep sleep, filled with nightmares of leaving.

In her dreams, all the boys forgot Francesca, and when she tried to talk to Squid, he acted as though she weren't even there. She was invisible to him, and every one else.

Every once in a while she would walk over to one of the boys in turn and shout at them to remember her. Finally after all that, she just broke down in the middle of the dessert, where she was surrounded by holes.

"Chick! Chick! Francesca! Wake Up!" came a voice as two strong rough hands gripped her by the shoulders, shaking her to wake up.

Francesca woke. She was looking right at Squid.

"Sq-Squid! Oh, Squid!" Quick as lightning she jumped out of bed and threw her arms around her friend.

He was slightly taken aback, but he hugged her back. "Chick, you OK?"

"No… No, I'm not." She pulled back from him. "They're sendin' me away! A bus is comin' tomorrow f'me!" Tears were streaming freely down her cheeks. "And… And… oh, Squid! I don't wanna leave! This place may be hell, but it's better than home! People like me here! _You_ like me here! I don't wanna leave, I can't! I can't!" She buried her face in Squid's chest, sobbing.

Squid tightened his arms around her. "Oh…Oh, Francesca. I… I don't know what to say. I… I'm sorry." Tears were now flowing down his face.

They sat there for minutes until the rest of D-tent had entered the tent, and gathered around as Francesca told them all of what had happened.

The boys all seemed sad at her departure the next morning. Francesca couldn't help but cry, she had never felt so connected to another group of people. They were her friends.

As the sun began to rise, she watched as the boys all began to depart, until Squid was the last of the boys to depart. He looked down at her, took out his toothpick, and kissed her gently on the cheek. Then he left into the sunrise.

Francesca just stood there, until finally the bus arrived. An armed guard got out of the bus, took Francesca by the arm and led her onto the bus.

Now she was on her way to Austin juvenile detention center, away from her new family in Camp green lake.

**END OF PART 2**


	3. Part Three

**Hell is Better than Home**

**PART 3**

The drive to Austin Juvenile Detention Center took even longer than the one up to Camp Green Lake.

And it was even lonelier. At least when she was headedto Camp Green Lake she had nothing to miss. Now she was leaving the only friends she'd ever had.

She cried the whole six-hour drive.

When she finally reached Austin Juvenile Detention Center her face felt tight and tear-stained.

She said nothing to anyone she saw. She was put in an all-girl wing of the center. That night all the girls talked about why they were here. Drugs, mostly. Some alcoholics. Petty thieves. One was a murderer. The girls even talked about boys they knew. But the whole time Francesca said nothing. She kept silent. And because of this, the girls began to call her 'Mime'.

That cut it.

Suddenly having a new nickname was almost more than Francesca could bear. After two months of being called 'Chick' a new name was entirely not welcome. New friends were entirely not welcome.

So Francesca was silent.

She said not a word. Not a word to anyone. Instead she sat on her cot- which felt so hard and unlike the cot at Camp green Lake- and thought. She thought about X-ray, and Zigzag, and Magnet, and Barfbag, and Armpit. But she mostly thought about Squid.

Alan.

When she slept she dreamt about Alan. He consumed her thoughts at all times. In the morning she was served eggs and toast, but it turned to ashes in her mouth. That night, when they served dinner, she saw the refried beans on one side of the plate and began to cry. She abandoned her food, surrendering it to her cellmate.

After two days of sitting and thinking about Alan, the first exciting thing happened to her in Austin Juvenile Detention Center.

She received a letter.

She half expected it to be from Alex, her sister, asking where she kept her money. But she didn't recognize the handwriting on the envelope.

Or, at least, not at first. She hadn't seen that writing in such a long time that it almost looked foreign to her.

"Squid!" She muttered under her breath.

Her cellmate looked up from her breakfast. "You say sumthin', Mime?"

Francesca shook her head subtly, staring at the letter. Hands shaking, she opened the envelope and unfolded the paper inside. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply before reading it.

The letter read as follows:

Chick,

Thing aren't as cool with you not around. That's not to say that it's been slow around here. Barfbag took a rattler to the foot. Bad luck. So he's gone.

A new kid came; we call him Zero, because he's stupid. Another came, Caveman. He's alright. Anyway…

How's jail? Well, that sounded really insensitive, but really. Are they treating you ok? Anymore beans? Just kidding.

I really miss you. Time to go dig. Write back!

Squid

P.s.: Showering time isn't quite as interesting.

Francesca's tear dripped onto the paper, making the ink run. She ran to the bars of her cell, "Hey! Hey! Could I get some paper and a pen here?" She yelled down the corridor. After a few moments an officer handed her a few sheets of paper and a green ballpoint pen. She wrote back:

_Squid,_

Thanks for writing to me. The girls here aren't as friendly as you guys were. They even nick named me 'Mime'. I like 'Chick' better.

Anyways, sorry about Barfbag, that has to hurt. And I hope you boys are all being nice to the new boys. Tell the others I say hi for me.

I really miss you guys, I feel so lonely and lost here. My cellmate, a girl named Missy Therman, is the cruelest girl. Think of the Warden, but much worse. I wish you guys could come down here and tech her a lesson for me.

Please write back ASAP.

Chick

Francesca finished her letter within minutes. She quietly folded the letter then walked back to the cell door, and got a guard to mail it for her. Then relieved that the boys had not forgotten about her, she sat in bed and smiled to herself.

"What you smilin' for 'mime'." Asked Missy looking at her sternly.

Francesca just shook her head and looked away. As soon as the next letter from Squid came, the happier she would be.

About two weeks later, as Francesca sat on her cot, fiddling with her blanket, a guard came to the door.

"Letter for a Ms. Francesca Albright." He said handing a small piece of white paper threw the bars.

Francesca immediately leapt for the letter, but Missy got there first. She took hold of the letter, and analyzed it for a moment until, "What kind of a name is Squid?"

Francesca took the letter from her hand, "Just a boy I knew before I came here."

"OOO, is he your boyfriend, how cute, 'mime' has a boyfriend."

Francesca, ignoring her, opened the letter with trembling hands and read:

Chick,

Wish I could go see you.

Sorry the others are mean. What kind of name is Mime anyways? It doesn't make sense. But besides that, everything here is uneventful. I've been watching the sunrise on Wednesdays and I think about you.

The new guys are really trouble. They can't stay away from fights, it seems. And Caveman got Zero digging his holes. It's not really fair.

Whatever. It's all equally boring without you.

Write back, ASAP.

Love, Squid

Chick noted that Squid had written 'Love', but had tried to cross it out and erase it. Quick as a flash she wrote back:

_Squid,_

_Thanks for writing back; it really means a lot to me. I really wish I was back there. And you are right it isn't very fair for Caveman to employ Zero to dig his holes. Even though we sort of did that when I first arrived there. _

_Anyways, besides the newbies, how are the guys, not getting into trouble I hope. _

_Write back,_

_Love, Chick_

Francesca smiled as she read her own letter, especially when she had written 'love' to him.

She waited again for another letter. It was a grievous time, miserable and lonely. She ate little she wasn't hungry. She said nothing. She hated her cellmate. She was bored. She thought about Squid. She sat around. She took to pacing. About a week passed before she heard about Squid again, and it was not the way she wanted to.

That one fateful Tuesday morning the paper came. Francesca was lazily flipping through pages, scanning articles that looked interesting and checking her horoscope. Then, on the second to last page, a headline caught Francesca's eye.

**CAMP GREEN LAKE CLOSES!**

Under the header was a picture a the d-tent boys with a caption reading, "The boys of d-tent are highly responsible for the closing of Camp Green Lake." Francesca scanned the article. The whole deal had been illegal the whole time! Somehow, she wasn't entirely shocked. She studied the picture of her friends. There were two she didn't recognize, Caveman and Zero, she realized. She tore the picture out of the paper and slid it under her pillow. Then she threw the paper across her cell and into the trash bin.

"What you doing Mime?" said Missy, looking shaken by the sudden movement.

Francesca didn't answer; she did not want to even look at Missy at the moment. All she wanted to do was to mope about how she would never hear from Squid ever again.

"Hey, I asked you a question, 'mime'."

But Francesca had had enough, she stood up facing her roommate and said in a silent but frightening voice, "My name is not mime, it's Francesca, and if that doesn't suit it for you then you can call me Chick."

"What did you say." She asked getting up herself. AT this point in time Francesca noticed just how very tall Missy was compared to her. But that didn't matter, she was feed up.

"You heard what I said." She said back to her, and turned around to go back to her cot when a sharp pain gripped the back of her shoulder.

Francesca fell flat on her face after being socked in the back by a 200-pound girl. She got up rubbing the back of her neck, just in time to feel another jolt of pain, as she was kicked in the arm.

'Hey break it up!" hollered the guard advancing on their cell, but Missy was not showing any sign of stopping. She began kicking and punching Francesca with all the strength she could muster.

Francesca let out a small moan as she looked down at her throbbing body. Just then she felt a familiar feeling faintness, and everything went black.

She woke up four hours later, bruised and battered, in the first aid room. The nurse was gone at the moment, so Francesca was all alone. On the wall in front of her there was a mirror. Francesca sat up and looked at herself. She barely even recognized herself. She hadn't seen a mirror in months, and now that she was finally looking at herself she could tell she needed help. She needed makeup, soap, and tweezers. Band-Aids were plastered all over her face.

The nurse walked in, clipboard in hand and pen behind her ear. "What made you pick a fight with Missy the Monster?" she said, shaking her head.

Missy the Monster, how quaint. "I was jus' tellin' her my name…" Francesca mumbled.

"Well, it was pretty stupid of you," the nurse said as she checked some charts and went about some other nursey-type business. "You'll be stayin' in here 'till ya heal up a bit," she said.

"Fine by me," Francesca replied.

After about an hour a guard came in. "A letter for Ms. Albright," he said.

Francesca grabbed it greedily. Squid! She ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Chick,

You probably saw the paper. It's kind of shocking, I know. But it's good. I'm seeing a real counselor to finish off my sentence. Two more months and I'm free. What about you? How much longer do you have? What are the visiting hours there?

Write back! ASAP!! I miss you!

Love,

Love,

Love,

Love, Squid

Francesca could have danced from happiness. He had actually kept in contact with her, despite the fact that the camp was closed.

She hastily grabbed a pencil and paper, and began writing back:

_Squid,_

_I am so happy that you actually wrote back. I actually thought that you might not write anymore since the camp is closed. At the moment everything has been going wrong with my life, I was beat up by my roommate so now I am in the first aid. I fainted again. As for my sentence, I have about nine months left till I am free again. Visiting hours are from noon to five. _

_I hope the rest of you are having a nice time with their new freedom._

_Love, _

_Chick_

Francesca folded up the letter, then gave it to the nurse with the return address. She could not believe that he had written back. She missed Squid, and hopped that he would come and visit her.

Imagine, Squid coming to Austin juvenile detention center, to visit her. It would be so great to see him again. She could only hope that he would come after she had healed fully.

It was only a few more days until Francesca got another letter from Squid.

A guard came in saying, "I have a letter for Ms. Albright?"

Francesca grabbed it greedily and tore open the envelope. She unfolded the letter and read:

Chick,

I asked my counselor if I could visit you, she said not until my sentence was over. And she said that they might not even let me in after that because of my record. This sucks. I'm really sorry, Chick. But I swear that I'll see you eventually. Somehow. I can only hope that this is very fast nine months.

Love, Squid

Francesca sighed. She couldn't see him. That sucked.

But, he actually wrote 'Love' for once!

Love!

_Squid,_

_Though the news that you can not come and visit makes me sad, I am determined to make it out of here as soon as I can. At this time, I really miss you, it can be very lonely here._

_Love,_

_Chick_

Francesca had nothing much to say this time around. As she gave the nurse the letter, she swore to make this next nine months go by as fast as she could.

She began working hard, asking if there were projects she could do to get out early. When she was still in the nurse's office the nurse told her that some times if someone would do enough chores they could leave up to two months early.

So that became Francesca's goal. She would help make food, help serve food, help clean up food. She'd help clean up cells and the nurse's station. Anything to get out a little early. After two more months of that and uneventful communication between her and Squid she finally got a little bit of good news.

Chick,

I've finally finished my sentence. My counselor called the detention canter to see if I could visit you, but, of course, they said no. I'm really sorry.

Love you!

Squid

Francesca held the letter to her chest. She was thrilled for him, but sad that she couldn't se him yet. But, still, she was determined to get out early.

_Squid,_

_AT this moment in time I am attempting to shorten my sentence by doing chores. They say I could get up to two months off my sentence. I am thrilled for you, and hope to see you soon._

_Love,_

_Chick_

The next three months were filled with chores, chores, and more chores. She never stopped volunteering for more services that could help her get out earlier. Until one day she got a note from the warden of the detention center, telling her to meet him the next day to discuss her sentence. 

The warden was a not nearly as intimidating as the warden down at camp green lake. He seemed even friendly.

As she stepped into the room he motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite him. "Now, we are here today to discuss your sentence," he said, "I understand that you have been participating in numerous chores. Here at Austin juvenile detention center, we reward efforts such as yours with time off sentences. Now I am to understand that you have three months left here?"

Francesca nodded, "However due to the work you have done, I will be more than happy to take two months off your sentence." He said looking at her with a smirk. "Which means that you shall be leaving Austin juvenile detention center in just one month."

One month.

One month!

These words played over and over in her mind as she walked back to her room. Nothing not even Missy the monster could ruin this day for her.

When she finally reached her cell she noticed to her great pleasure, a letter sitting on her cot in Squid's handwriting:

Chick,

I'm really proud of you! I'm just waiting for the day that I can see you again. I've kind of changed, though. Not in a bad way, of course! But, I grew a goatee. I think it looks cool. But I put a picture in here, write back and tell me what you think.

Be honest, I really want to know your opinion.

Get out soon!

Love,

Squid

Francesca checked the picture, Squid looked absolutely ridiculous! But she beamed and started to reply:

_Squid,_

_To be completely truthful, it was nice of you to send that picture, I need a good laugh. No just joking, but seriously it does look a bit silly on you. But I do have good news for once, I have only a month left in my sentence now, the warden told me today. I hope to see you next month, till then tell all the guys I say hi._

_Love,_

_Chick_

As Francesca folded up the letter, she couldn't help but smile. After all she was going to see Squid in less than a month.

Nothing was going to dampen Francesca's mood, not now and not in the next month.

**END OF PART THREE**


	4. Part Four

**Hell is Better than Home**

**PART FOUR**

One month later.

Finally, Francesca was free!

She celebrated by taking a long, hot bath. She made herself all pretty for the first time in a year. She actually felt clean! It was an amazing feeling. And, she would be seeing Squid soon.

As she lay on her bed in her room she imagined how it would be. They'd meet at a park, or maybe a café. They'd see each other from across the way and run at each other, embracing and kissing to greet each other. Oh, how happy she'd be! She could hardly wait for his next letter, setting a date and place to meet.

She was falling asleep when the doorbell rang. Her eyes shot open. She heard Alex get up and answer the door, then close the door.

"Who was it, Alex?" Francesca yelled down to her sister.

"Just some stupid teen trying to sell something. Looked like a druggy. He was probably high."

"Way not to stereotype, Al." Francesca laughed and closed her eyes again. But after only a few seconds the bell rang again.

Francesca laughed as she heard her sister yell, "We don't want any, OK?!" and slam the door.

And again, moments later the bell rang!

Alex answered the door and Francesca heard someone yell "Chick outside!" before Alex slammed the door shut again. That made her sit up.

Someone had called 'Chick'!

Francesca jumped out of bed and darted downstairs.

Chick!

She burst out the front door.

No one was there.

Francesca looked around.

Someone was walking away.

"Squid!!!"

He turned around.

Francesca started running towards him, arms open. Squid began to run to her as well.

They embraced.

Francesca pulled back and studied Squid's face. "You shaved off the goatee."

"Ya, I did."

"Good."

He smiled at her, spit the toothpick out of his mouth…

And kissed her.

And she kissed him back.

And they were truly happy, for once.

**END OF PART FOUR**

THE END!


End file.
